- 6:20 I started heading back home from work. With my nonexistent expertise in all things riotous, at three when it all started I was absolutely sure that it all would be over by the time I would get into the city at 730.
- 6:30 I was waiting on a train that was to take me home. I continued to update the news as fast as my spotty cell service would let me.
- 7:15 My train hit West Baltimore I saw smoke. We couldn’t tell if it was the RiteAide on North Ave or the West Baltimore police station.
- 7:30 I made it into Penn Station Baltimore. The light rail was shut down, bus service was effectively nonexistent, and though rolling the 2 miles back can be relaxing, tonight promised to be different. I went into the train station bar to watch the news -It wasn’t for the inane political banter. There was a blurb about a woman who was pulled from her car and beaten by the mob. I wasn’t about to test it’s morality in regards to the disabled.
- 7:45 The bar’s owner decided to turn off the news- maybe as an attempt toll keep people from panicking. I needed the news so I could decide how to stay safe. I rolled two blocks south in search for a TV. The streets were eerily empty and quiet with the patio furniture missing and some shop windows boarded. I went back to the train station.
- 8:00 I tried calling the para transit service and they said that I couldn’t get a ride because I hadn’t scheduled a pickup a day in advance. Baltimore has no accessible cabs. I was screwed.
- 8:30 I asked a cop in the station what was happening. He said stores were being looted at two locations on my route back (now I’m definitely not rolling). The storm was not passing. My last option was to take the train to the airport and sleep in the terminal.
For the geek in you